Dental scanning systems

Abstract

Personal dental scanning systems for treatment of teeth are provided. These dental scanning systems may be configured for use by a user (e.g., patient) without requiring a dental professional and may include a scanner, a user input a user output, and one or more local or remote processors.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dental scanning system comprising:
 a tooth scanner configured for a user to scan their own teeth;   a user input interface;   a user display;   one or more processors in communication with the user input interface and the user display; and   a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 create and store a digital model of the user’s teeth based on a scan data gathered using the tooth scanner; 
 receive a selection of one or more best match criteria from the user, the one or more best match criteria including one or more of treatment plan complexity, treatment plan length, treatment plan comfort, and treatment plan cost; 
 create a treatment plan for the user’s teeth based on a comparison between the digital model of the user’s teeth with a database containing digital models of prior cases and the user selected one or more treatment best match criteria; 
 receive selections of personal selection best match criteria in from the user input interface, the personal selection best match criteria identifying a user’s preferences related to characteristics of a treatment professional; and 
 display on the user display, after the treatment plan is created and the personal selection best match criteria are received, a list of treatment professionals for initiation of the treatment plan, wherein the list is based on the treatment plan and the personal selection best match criteria. 
   
     
     
         2 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to generate and display one or more visual representations of the treatment plan on the user display. 
     
     
         3 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to generate and display a representation of progress throughout the treatment plan and a potential outcome of the treatment plan over a given timeframe. 
     
     
         4 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to provide user contact information to a selected treatment professional. 
     
     
         5 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein creating the treatment plan comprises determining types of tooth movement, whether the treatment plan includes mixed treatment, and whether the treatment plan includes restorative work. 
     
     
         6 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to segment the digital model and create independent representations of each tooth of the digital model. 
     
     
         7 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein creating the treatment plan includes:
 identifying one or more dental conditions of the prior cases that are similar to the dental condition of the user’s teeth;   assigning a complexity level of the treatment plan based on similarities of the dental condition of the user’s teeth and the one or more similar dental conditions of the prior cases;   identifying steps of the treatment plan based on the complexity level; and   individually orienting a digital representation of each tooth with respect to digital representations of other teeth of the digital model according to the steps of the treatment plan.   
     
     
         8 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the personal selection best match criteria include at least one criterion selected from the group: treatment professional’s proximity to one or more of the user’s home, work, or hospital; treatment professional’s hours of operation on one or more of certain days or times of the day; one or more financial options provided by the treatment professional; one or more languages communicated by the treatment professional; education of the treatment professional; credentials of the treatment professional; surgical experience of the treatment professional; ability of the treatment professional to treat patients with mixed dentition; or the treatment professional’s practice focused on one or more of pre-teens, teens, or adults. 
     
     
         9 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to rank the personal selection best match criteria based on the user’s preferences. 
     
     
         10 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the dental scanning system is at a public station. 
     
     
         11 . A dental scanning system comprising:
 a user input interface;   a user display; and   a computer network including a local computer associated with the intraoral scanner and one or more remote computers operatively connected to the local computer, wherein:
 the local computer is configured to:
 create and store a digital model of the user’s teeth based on a scan data gathered using the intraoral scanner; 
 receive a selection of one or more best match criteria from the user, the one or more best match criteria including one or more of treatment plan complexity, treatment plan length, treatment plan comfort, and treatment plan cost; 
 receive selections of personal selection best match criteria in from the user, the personal selection best match criteria identifying a user’s preferences related to characteristics of a treatment professional; and 
 send the digital model, the selected one or more best match criteria, and the selected personal selection best match criteria to the one or more remote computers; and 
 receive a list of treatment professionals for initiation of a treatment plan from the one or more remote computers and present the list to the user; and 
 
 the one or more remote computers is configured to:
 receive the digital model from the local computer and create a treatment plan for the user’s teeth based on a comparison between the digital model with a database containing digital models of prior cases and the received one or more treatment best match criteria; 
 generate, using the treatment plan and the receive personal selection best match criteria, the list of treatment professionals for initiation of the treatment plan, and sending the list of treatment professionals to the local computer. 
 
   
     
     
         12 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the digital models of prior cases include digital models of other users’ teeth with their prior conditions and digital models of the other users’ teeth while their treatment plan is being performed. 
     
     
         13 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the personal selection best match criteria include at least one criterion selected from the group: treatment professional’s proximity to one or more of the user’s home, work, or hospital; treatment professional’s hours of operation on one or more of certain days or times of the day; one or more financial options provided by the treatment professional; one or more languages communicated by the treatment professional; education of the treatment professional; credentials of the treatment professional; surgical experience of the treatment professional; ability of the treatment professional to treat patients with mixed dentition; or the treatment professional’s practice focused on one or more of pre-teens, teens, or adults. 
     
     
         14 . The dental scanning system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more remote computers include one or more computers associated with one or more treatment professionals, wherein the one or more treatment professionals have access to the digital model of the user’s teeth. 
     
     
         15 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein the computer network is further configured to send one or more diagnoses of a dental condition of the user’s teeth by the one or more treatment professionals from the one or more computers associated with one or more treatment professionals to the local computer. 
     
     
         16 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the one or more remote computers is associated with an analysis center. 
     
     
         17 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein the database includes digital models of other user’s teeth with associated prior conditions and/or digital models of other user’s teeth while a treatment plan is being performed up to a final state of other user’s teeth at completion of the other user’s treatment plan. 
     
     
         18 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein the local computer is configured to display cross-sectional views of the user’s teeth, representations of segmented teeth, or cross-sectional views of the user’s teeth and representations of segmented teeth to the user. 
     
     
         19 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein the digital model includes an interior view including a root structure or an interior structure of one or more of the user’s teeth. 
     
     
         20 . The dental scanning system of  claim 14 , wherein the treatment plan includes a timeline for the treatment plan, including scheduled office visits to the treatment professional.